What's the difference between Special Forces and Special Operation Forces?

What's the difference between Special Forces and Special Operation Forces?
I noticed that the NATO symbol used for the SASR is SF while 2CDO uses SOF.

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  1. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    >What's the difference between Special Forces and Special Operation Forces?

    Special Forces are the US Army Green Berets, and that's it. Special Operations Forces is the all the other guys (SEALs, Marines Raider, SAS, and whatever else you wanna include.) SOCOM is the US special operations Command in all the branches.

    It's only confusing to neverserves.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Hierarchy is terms of the most to least elite?

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        *in terms

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        >WHo iZ da MoSt ELiTe

        Always with this question. There is a tier list for one. That's a good starting place. Different units also have different mission sets and different geographic specialities.

        If you need some to blend in with locals and start a guerilla war, you send Special Forces aka Green Berets. If you need someone to infiltrate a base and get back out you send SEALs.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          The deadliest weapon in the world is a marine and his rifle. FACT. Forget everyone else

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          “Tier” technically has more to do with budgeting and funding priority rather the “eliteness”.
          One of the benefits of having such a large and well funded military like the USA is that you can have multiple “elite” spec ops outfits that cater to one or two specialities really really well while still being quite competent enough at most other tasks to sub in in a pinch when the go-to unit might not be available.
          As stated elsewhere ITT, if you want a smash and grab Delta would probably be your guys.
          A smash n grab via water: Seals
          Gaining the trust of a remote tribal warlord so you can then train his ragtag posse of morons into an effective paramilitary/guerilla force: Green Berets

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Its based on who has more homosexual officers, trannies count for double points

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        >Tier 1
        SFOD-D, DEVGRU, CIA SAD
        >Tier 2
        SEALs, Marine raiders, rangers, green berets
        >Tier 3
        Force recon, 82nd & 101st Airborne, 10th Mountain

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          None of those units you listed in tier3 are even in socom. It's more like tier1 is devgru, sfod-d, some funky Ranger, green beret recon funny teams, then in tier two it's the rest of green beret, raiders. Then tier three is rangers, seals, whatever random airforce pilots flunked out of fighter school, and bomber school and ended up bussing SOF around. Units like force recon can be comparable to your average Ranger, but they don't have the funding, or Intel.

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            tier 3 is conventional infantry with enhanced capability. they don't need to be part of SOCOM.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        they do different things. that's like asking if mcdonald's or taco bell is better. they serve different kinds of food mate, it depends on what you're hungry for

  2. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    "Special Forces" is like kleenex, taser, xerox; whether or not it's a proper noun depends on which country you're in. Globally in common use there's no difference.

  3. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    In America "Special Forces" refers to the "United States Army Special Forces" known more commonly as the Green Berets. In the rest of the world Special Forces is a generic term so prevent confusion people say Special Operation Force or SOF.

  4. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    The US special forces are special forces

  5. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    In most countries the distinction is meaningless, they mean the same thing. However I think in the case of the Australians it probably intentionally mirrors the US definition of them being two distinct terms, since the SASR historically share the mission set of the US special forces of asymmetric warfare and light reconnaissance working in small teams; whereas their commandos are some kind of ranger battalion equivalent; being better trained and equipped versions of regular conventional infantry.

  6. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    SF is marking forces using unconventional equipment and tactics that might not be recognisable
    SOF is marking forces with conventional equipment but tasked with special operations

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      This is correct so far as the APP-6 map symbols go. Basically the SF marker is for areas where clandestine forces or those embedded with locals are operating.
      So far as a military unit being called SOF or SF goes though, it's only in America where they make a hard distinction because the Army decided for make "Special Forces" a brand. To them, everybody else is SOF even if they perform SF roles.

  7. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    the distinction between SF and SOF exists only in the US, because the green berets (SF) have a rather unique mission profile.
    in other countries the term is interchangeable.

  8. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    For Australia, which is obviously what you're interested in, SF refers to beret-qualified personnel who have passed selection, whether they're SASR, 2 CDO or 1 CDO.

    SOF refers to everybody else in SOCOMD who provide direct or indirect support - signallers, combat engineers, logisticians, etc.

  9. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Nothing it's just typical American moronation

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